Faculty News

Prof. Luke Williams offers advice to Vurb, a mobile search application startup

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Excerpt from Fox Business -- "If you look at the opportunity [of Vurb], I think it's fantastic. They've innovated - it's a typical work-around because it's amazing that nobody else is looking at this situation. The reason for that, I think, is it wasn't a big enough problem to be really broken, it was just one of these...small frustrations that people got complacent about. The second thing was there's been a value shift in the markets so people are moving away from the web on to mobile so they're capitalizing on search for the mobile future. The third thing is they've really leveraged an ingrained behavior."
Faculty News

Prof. Sam Craig on British bike company Brompton's expansion into the US market

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Excerpt from BBC News -- "Sam Craig, professor of marketing and international business at New York University's Stern School of Business, agrees with Brompton's patient, long-term approach to the US market, saying that such a policy is vital if a foreign firm wants to gain a foothold. 'There is a big difference between selling products in the US and establishing a strong presence,' he says. 'Your product or service has to stand out, be distinctive, and offer superior value.'"
Faculty News

Prof. Kim Corfman is interviewed about the importance of creativity in business

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Excerpt from CKGSB Knowledge -- "The rate of change in the world has been accelerating in terms of in developing economies, how easy it is to start a business, the rapidity with which commercial ventures are growing and changing, the recognition of really serious global problems that need more creative solutions to be solved, everything is moving more quickly and the standards are getting higher. So [there is a] much more competitive environment, much more rapidly moving environment, we need new ways to do things."
Faculty News

Prof. Joseph Foudy discusses the impact of political stability on debt repayment

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Excerpt from CCTV -- "'So some countries like France might be heavily indebted, but they have a long tradition of paying high tax rates, going along with whatever along is needed to pay their debts. Other countries like Argentina, I recall it defaulted when it only had 30% to 40% debt to GDP, they just did not have the political will to do so. Then there’s countries like Pakistan where there’s such unrest and so many economic challenges, that whatever the debt is, you just question the ability of the government to repay it,' Joseph Foudy said."
Faculty News

Prof. Jason Greenberg's research on gender and crowdfunding is highlighted

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Excerpt from The Wall Street Journal -- "On Kickstarter, where backers make contributions in exchange for rewards, women-led companies account for less than 10% of technology projects. But roughly two-thirds of women-led technology ventures reached their fundraising goals versus just 30% of technology ventures with male founders, according to a new academic study. Overall, women are 13% more likely than men to meet their Kickstarter goals, even after controlling for project type, amount being raised and other factors, according to the analysis, which examined 1,250 projects in five categories that sought at least $5,000 between 2010 and 2012."
Faculty News

In an op-ed, Prof. Roy Smith offers recommendations for the Federal Reserve Bank of New York's “workshop on bank ethics and culture”

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Excerpt from Financial News -- "What ethical and cultural workshops will accomplish is unclear. Such events have a history of being of little value but, with some effort by the Fed, the forthcoming ones could be quite significant. The Fed could begin by defining the standards it wants banks to meet. These should begin with the requirement that all banks strive to achieve a culture that values high ethical conduct and insists on treating customers fairly. The effort to do this is auditable to a reasonable degree. The Fed could say it will provide a “safe harbour” for banks – that is, will hold them blameless as institutions – if they can demonstrate they have adopted and are enforcing policies that make unit heads and mid-level management responsible for the integrity of products and marketing and sales procedures. Products or procedures that involve potentially injurious conflicts of interest, or rely on loopholes or technicalities, need to be nipped in the bud."
Faculty News

Prof. Lisa Leslie's research on affirmative action in the workplace is highlighted

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Excerpt from The Wall Street Journal -- "Companies that have affirmative action programs – some with a government contract are required to do so – risk subjecting minorities and women to increased scrutiny from their peers, Leslie’s research suggests. ... the policies are seen as making minorities and women more competitive, giving them a leg up in the race for resources and jobs. 'We tend to make negative attributions about people we compete with,' Leslie said, for example assuming they’re not nice. That can lead to less positive performance reviews from superiors. ... She recommends companies combat the perception that minorities and women aren’t qualified by stressing that hiring and promotions are based on merit. Organizations should also emphasize that diversity benefits everyone, Leslie said, pointing to findings that heterogeneous groups outperform homogenous ones and that a range of perspectives can lead to more creativity and innovation."
Faculty News

Prof. Adam Alter's research on the link between a pronounceable name and likeability is featured

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Excerpt from Business Insider -- "In a New York University study, researchers found that people with easier-to-pronounce names often have higher-status positions at work. One of the psychologists, Adam Alter, explains to Wired, 'When we can process a piece of information more easily, when it's easier to comprehend, we come to like it more.' In a further study, Alter also found that companies with simpler names and ticker symbols performed better in the stock market."
Faculty News

Prof. Adam Alter explains how wearing a nametag can make a person appear approachable

Excerpt from Today.com -- "'There’s a theory known as reciprocal disclosure, which suggests that friendships are built on a foundation of mutual disclosure. When you share a piece of personal information — a name, for example — you signal to other people that you’re willing to interact with them. In turn, they might open up to you, share a piece of personal information that further strengthens the relationship, and so on. So yes, wearing a nametag might encourage people to approach you — and, in time, it might become the first step in a budding relationship.'"
Faculty News

Prof. Scott Galloway discusses Alibaba's incentives for luxury brands that sell on its ecommerce platform

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Excerpt from The Wall Street Journal -- "Alibaba's offer to crack down on gray-market goods for brands that open Tmall stores provides a powerful incentive for brands to join the site, said Scott Galloway, chief executive of L2 Inc., a New York-based research firm."
Faculty News

Prof. Jonathan Haidt's research on liberals and conservatives is featured

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Excerpt from The New York Post -- "An experiment by psychologist Jonathan Haidt (sometimes called 'an ideological Turing test') asked liberals and conservatives to put themselves in the other guy’s socks for the duration of a test and ask them: How would your ideological opponent answer? Conservatives were far better at liberals at this game, though that should have been easy to guess."
Faculty News

In an op-ed, NYU Global Research Prof. Ian Bremmer explains Vladimir Putin's reasons for threatening to invade Ukraine

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Excerpt from Reuters -- "Make no mistake: Putin’s preparations are not just a bluff to deter and obfuscate—it’s also his backup plan. If Ukraine backs down on a siege of the rebel stronghold cities — or fails — we are still in the long game of intervention. That seems most likely, given the difficulties of the Ukrainian military engaging in street-to-street urban warfare. But if the Ukrainian military does rout the separatists, invasion may be the only card Putin has left."
Faculty News

Prof. Nicholas Economides on China's antitrust laws

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Excerpt from CCTV -- "The antitrust law in China is similar to the antitrust law in Europe and the United States, but it also has a provision that allows the regulator to take into account industrial policy in China... such a provision doesn't exist in Europe and the United States. So, in many ways, it's similar, but it has some exceptions as well."
Faculty News

Prof. Scott Galloway discusses how Amazon works with its retail partners

Excerpt from Bloomberg -- "'It’s definitely pay to play and they are definitely muscling brands and retailers around,' said Scott Galloway, a marketing professor at New York University’s Stern School of Business and co-founder of L2, a New York-based research firm that plans to publish its Amazon findings today with the title 'Great White Shark.'"
Faculty News

Prof. Edward Altman's research on corporate bond portfolios is highlighted

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Excerpt from CFA Institute blog -- "In another volatility study by a trio of researchers from the New York University Stern School of Business and Morgan Stanley, which assessed distressed corporate bond portfolios, the authors concluded that investors are better off using a buy-and-hold strategy and investing in low-volatility distressed securities. When the portfolios are updated continuously as securities become distressed, the lowest-volatility portfolio outperforms because of lower default rates and higher terminal values. In theory, new data are absorbed by all markets simultaneously and incorporated into asset prices immediately."
Faculty News

Prof. Scott Galloway discusses Levi's brand values

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Excerpt from BBC Radio -- "Corporate America has become rapacious and Levi's and the shareholders have always stayed true to their core about doing good so there's a ton of people that are rooting for them. That's why I still buy Levi's."
Faculty News

Prof. Tom Meyvis's research on the impact of fictional stories is highlighted

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Excerpt from Pacific Standard -- "'Although forecasters predicted less intense emotional reactions when reading about a distant (fictional) event than when reading about a proximal (real) event,' the researchers write, 'experiencers actually reported equally intense emotional reactions when they believed the story was fictional as when they believed it was real.'"
Faculty News

Prof. Lawrence White on the investigation of GM for alleged subprime auto loans

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Excerpt from Marketplace -- "'The magnitudes are nowhere near in subprime auto what they were in subprime mortgage lending,' [White] says. 'So it’s highly unlikely that there will be any significant macro-economic consequences.'"
Faculty News

Prof. Arun Sundararajan on the effectiveness of behavior modification apps

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Excerpt from Fast Company -- "If the app only changes your reaction to feedback, such as reprimanding you for checking your social media, then there’s a good chance you’re only changing your behavior because you’re using the app. When it comes to changing, Sundararajan says your best bet is to not put too much stock in the digital and technology. 'Over the last decade, we’ve started to overestimate the power of technology and we reduce the importance of things like community,' he says. 'A big part of behavior change has to do with changing the environment that you’re in and changing the interactions that you have with people.'"
Faculty News

Prof. Arun Sundararajan explains how the sharing economy might reduce inequality

Excerpt from Socialter -- "Even though they are privately owned companies, sharing economy platforms are already sharing more of the value they create with their users than traditional companies would do: suppliers typically receive between 85% and 95% of the amount of the transaction. It is already a step in the right direction."
Faculty News

Prof. Arun Sundararajan on the sharing economy and job creation

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Excerpt from Re/code -- "Sundararajan says he sees a lot of good in the sharing economy. 'It will lead people to entrepreneurship without the extreme risks.' He thinks of platforms like Uber as gateways. 'It’s even easier than finding a full-time job, which is easier than freelance.'"
Faculty News

Prof. Viral Acharya on Stern's conference on Indian markets with the National Stock Exchange

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Excerpt from Business Standard -- "'NYU Stern partnered with the NSE in order to create an international and inter-university network of academics interested in studying Indian financial markets,' New York University Stern School of Business' Professor Viral Acharya said."
Faculty News

Prof. Joshua Ronen explains why internal auditors should assess a company's corporate governance and corporate culture

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Excerpt from InsideCounsel -- "Do not expect that outside auditors will pick up the slack. It would be very difficult for external auditors to follow these factors, because they are not aware of the day-to-day events, [Ronen] explained. ‘Internal auditors are in the best position to undertake that task,’ Ronen said. For instance, internal auditors 'blew the whistle' on problems at Enron, an energy company, and WorldCom, a telecom company."
Faculty News

Prof. Russell Winer on the high cost of movie theater popcorn

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Excerpt from Marketplace -- "'They’re basically in a monopoly selling position,' says Russell Winer, chair of the marketing department at NYU’s Stern School of Business. 'Since they don’t allow you, theoretically, to bring food into theaters, they can pretty much charge what they feel the market will bear.'"
Faculty News

Professor Richard Sylla's views on the "shareholder value" model and his co-authored paper with Prof. Ralph Gomory are highlighted

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Excerpt from The Boston Globe -- "By the 1990s, the notion that a CEO had an obligation to maximize shareholder value had become an unquestioned mantra taught in business schools; ordinary people assumed it was simply the way of the world. 'People think it was brought down from Mount Sinai by Moses, as the 11th Commandment,' said Richard Sylla, a professor who specializes in the history of financial institutions at NYU Stern School of Business, and the coauthor of a recent article in the journal Daedalus critiquing the notion of shareholder supremacy. 'If you’re younger than 50 or 60, you’ve lived in a world where everyone taught you that this is what a corporation is supposed to do—maximize profit and shareholder value. But the world used to be different.'The philosophy of shareholder supremacy, initially a reform to curb irresponsibility in managers, has ended up causing significant problems of its own, say Sylla and other critics."